Who’s nicer than Evan Morgenstern? I can’t think of anybody. He grew up in the wilds of Florida and eventually moved to NYC, where he has become a master of many artforms including, standup, improv, krav maga, and commercial modelling. As he prepares to celebrate his first year running his comedy show SNC: Switzerland Neutral Comedy, we sat down with him to discuss how his show has roamed the city, how his love of Star Trek was useful for his career, how he ended up being the face of Blue Man Group and to find out when he first got laid.
CS: How did you and your co-host Jay Hoskins end up working together? How has your chemistry grown over time?
EM: I began stand up comedy through a work shop with Darlene Violette which is where I met Devin Sanchez and Jay Hoskins. Later I met Rachel Axelrod and the four of us started SNC to do improv and stand up shows. Jay and I have done shows hosting together and have alternated doing it solo and Devin and Rachel do some too. They are very smart and I’m lucky to have people I’ve met who are nice, talented, and fun to work with. I was nervous getting into stand up, especially in the big city but the scene has turned out to be really supportive and welcoming.
In how many different locations does your show Switzerland Neutral Comedy exist? Are you trying to build a franchise? Is it difficult to keep track of all of them, in terms of scheduling and booking talent? What are the pros of each venue?
I have been till recently doing two monthly shows. One show was at Stain Bar in Williamsburg and one is with The Tank at The 45th Street Theater. Stain Bar has recently closed and we are very sad to see them go. The owners, Caroline and Craig have been amazing to us. We also have upcoming SNC shows at The Sage Theater in Times Square and Ochi’s Lounge at Comix.
It has definitely been a learning experience booking and putting together shows and I am glad to get to work with Jay, Devin, and Rachel. Stain was every second Tuesday and The Tank is when they can have us. Stain has been a terrific, comfortable, relaxed atmosphere and the owners were incredibly nice and supportive. I found it when my wife was doing write ups for her job about bars around Brooklyn. Comics always seemed to have great things to say about Stain. The Tank has been very generous with us and gives us a chance to do a show at a nice Manhattan location which is convenient and upscale. I hope to work with them more down the line. Right now SNC remains open to performing around the city and trying to showcase to different audiences.
For how long have you been performing with the improv group Start Trekkin? Were you nervous about being amongst so many trekkie nerds, or did you feel home at last? How is your group able to keep each show fresh and not simply recall the standard catch phrases and plots (ie “Beam me up, Scotty”, “I’m a doctor, Jim! Not a…” etc)
I auditioned for Start Trekkin last Summer. I remember I was in an improv group that was on the same flier as Start Trekkin and as I am a huge Star Trek fan my mom asked “is that the show you’re doing?” I said no, and then thought, wow, it should be. Being a Trek fan (I had a Star Trek themed Bar Mitzvah) I felt I’d fit in with these folks well. BTW, I realize just how nerdy it is incorporating my mom and my love of Star Trek in the same story. If I was nervous it was because I had not watched the last two shows and thought I’d be inferior as a Trekkie. It’s so much fun and everyone in the group is a blast to work with. Since we don’t do existing characters and just do shows that exist in the realm of the original Trek universe we do shows that focus on relationships and, while we get silly we feel comfortable not falling back on the cliches.
You have also done commercial modeling as well, have you not? Is that strenuous, in terms of auditioning and the actual shoots? Have you done any videos as well, or do you have interest in partaking?
I actually got my first gig through nepotism as friend was part of the company working on the Blue Man Group campaign. They wanted different types of people to see the show and comment from their perspective. As he knew I have OCD I got to sort of play myself. I was amazed at how frequent the posters were popping up around town. I still audition for commercials now, usually during my lunch hour and try to allow for personal days to do anything that comes up. I have not had a huge success but keep trying and really want to get more.
What big projects and goals do you have on the horizon?
In July, I worked with some friends on a web video sketch about people’s fanaticism for Star Wars and Star Trek that was a lot of fun. Kevin Tor and I are gradually working on more sketches and finding venues for them. SNC is ongoing and we’re excited about the popularity it’s getting. I’m working on voice over and on camera auditions and just writing and writing.
Tell us about your new spin on SNC: The Virgin Chronicles.
We were looking for a new SNC show idea and were brainstorming when Rachel came up with the idea of first times. We came up with a title and worked out the details and pitched it to Kambri Crews at Comix as an Ochi’s show. She liked it and the rest is history. I think it works because everyone has a lot of firsts and many are awkward, strange, and funny in hindsight. For example, I lost my virginity at 23.
SNC: The Virgin Chronicles / SNC 1st Year Anniversary is on Tuesday, September 1 at Comix (353 W. 14th Street, corner of 9th), in Ochi’s Lounge. Featuring: Ali Wong, Jane Aquilina, Rob O’Reilly, Margie Kment, David Cope, Mark Normand, Devin Sanchez, Jay Hoskins and special guests: Kambri Crews and Andrea Rosen. No cover, one item min. Facebook Event Invite.
Andrew Singer performs all over the NYC as comedic rapper “soce, the elemental wizard.” He has toured Europe and the U.S., and been featured on numerous media outlets, including MTV, VH1, Here TV, Logo, The Source, Out, Howard Stern and Sirius Shade 45. He has a one-man show of his original music called Internet Adventure coming up at Ars Nova Theater on October 20, during their ANT Fest. His music is available on iTunes.
Last 5 posts by Andrew Singer
- Vodka Shoes - March 4th, 2010
- Yisrael Campbell: Circumsize Him (Part One) - February 12th, 2010
- A Weekend of Arts and Leisure - January 4th, 2010
- Tonedeff: QN5's Mastermind - August 5th, 2009
- Carolyn Castiglia: Rapper / Actor - July 16th, 2009
